MOT fail rates

SEAT Alhambra MOT fail rate by age

How often the SEAT Alhambra fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 110,632 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 22 September 2026

At 6 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 6 (n=15,571)17.7%

All cars at 6 years (n=10,382,720)17.8%

Median mileage at test60,493

All cars, median mileage44,951

196 of 340 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 6 years.

What stands out

At 3 years the SEAT Alhambra fails 13.2% of MOTs (3,584 tests), 1.2 points above the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 20 years it fails 52.7% (1,107 tests), 9.9 points above the 42.8% average.
The gap is widest at 15 years: 10.2 points above all cars.
Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 6 years: Suspension arm bush worn, at 4.4 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

SEAT Alhambra: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference	Median mileage
3 years	13.2%	3,584	12.1%	+1.2 pts	24,315 miles
4 years	15.1%	6,156	13.4%	+1.7 pts	34,621 miles
5 years	16.3%	12,188	15.3%	+1.0 pts	47,049 miles
6 years	17.7%	15,571	17.8%	−0.1 pts	60,493 miles
7 years	20.4%	15,037	20.6%	−0.3 pts	73,250 miles
8 years	22.1%	14,365	23.8%	−1.6 pts	84,628 miles
9 years	25.2%	9,850	27.1%	−1.9 pts	93,156 miles
10 years	28.6%	7,094	30.3%	−1.7 pts	98,209 miles
11 years	32.3%	6,109	33.3%	−1.0 pts	104,633 miles
12 years	34.9%	4,613	36.0%	−1.1 pts	112,107 miles
13 years	37.3%	3,404	38.3%	−0.9 pts	121,984 miles
14 years	41.9%	2,566	40.3%	+1.7 pts	129,947 miles
15 years	51.8%	1,867	41.6%	+10.2 pts	134,805 miles
16 years	51.7%	1,955	42.6%	+9.2 pts	138,986 miles
17 years	51.2%	1,881	43.1%	+8.1 pts	143,221 miles
18 years	49.0%	1,791	43.3%	+5.7 pts	143,626 miles
19 years	51.3%	1,494	43.2%	+8.1 pts	146,556 miles
20 years	52.7%	1,107	42.8%	+9.9 pts	147,347 miles

Most common fail items at 6 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs
Suspension arm bush worn Major	4.4
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Major	0.7
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Major	0.4

Out of 15,571 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous	4.3
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous	3.2
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major	2.4
Wipers not clearing screen Major	1.5
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous	1.3
Headlamp aim: too low Major	1.3
Headlight aimed too high Major	0.6

Out of 15,571 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 6 years

Model	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
SEAT Leon	18.6%	74,889	17.8%
SEAT Ibiza	24.3%	60,851	17.8%
SEAT Ateca	12.4%	31,519	17.8%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated 28 September 2026.

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First used	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
2011	14 years in 2025	34.5%	1,154	40.3%
2012	13 years in 2025	34.3%	1,347	38.3%
2013	12 years in 2025	32.9%	1,500	36.0%
2014	11 years in 2025	30.4%	1,801	33.3%
2015	10 years in 2025	26.2%	2,123	30.3%
2016	9 years in 2025	22.7%	4,122	27.1%
2017	8 years in 2025	20.1%	5,953	23.8%
2018	7 years in 2025	18.5%	2,524	20.6%
2019	6 years in 2025	15.4%	2,559	17.8%

More on the SEAT Alhambra

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Looking at one SEAT Alhambra?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources